NEW: Republicans tried to get Missourians to effectively kill direct democracy and ballot initiatives. Last night, Missourians literally laughed in their face — rejecting the measure by a massive 80% to 20%. Here’s what to know:

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

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Bolts@boltsmag.org · yesterday

Bolts staff writer Alex Burness explains how Southern states ignored a Reconstruction-era law and manipulated the criminal legal system to prevent Black people from voting. This year, that has finally caught up with one state: Virginia.

Missouri voters defeated the bid by Republicans to kill direct democracy in a blowout — 80% rejected the measure, with huge turnout for a primary boltsmag.org/missouri-rej...

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

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NEW in Bolts: Voters in Missouri yesterday overwhelmingly sided against a measure to restrict direct democracy, as state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly sided against a measure to restrict direct democracy, as Missouri officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

boltsmag.org

Big result from last nite: Missourians overwhelmingly rejected new limits on ballot initiatives that, if enacted over the past decade, would’ve killed popular reforms in the state to legalize marijuana, raise minimum wage, guarantee paid sick leave, expand medicaid, and protect reproductive rights

Missourians Reject Measure That Threatened to Kill Citizen-Led Ballot Initiatives - Bolts

Missourians on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against a measure to restrict direct democracy, while state officials are trying to block even more citizen-led reforms from the November ballot.

boltsmag.org

Brilliantly laid out here. Really user friendly. A guide to all up-coming elections & all new results are updated.

Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · 15h ago

What did you miss tonight? Bolts' elections guide has been updated with the final results of dozens of elections that took place on Tuesday — even as you wait for the final result in Michigan. Here: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

“Anybody who’s so mentally ill that they cannot get out of their cell for even two hours a day needs to be in a care setting, a place where they can actually get treatment,” says a Colorado state Senator representing Boulder. “We’re not doing that.”

Colorado Limited Solitary for People with Mental Illness. But Judges Still Routinely Approve It.  - Bolts

Despite a 2021 law meant to curb solitary confinement in local jails, judges almost always grant requests to isolate people with serious mental illness, often because there

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Over the last year, Republicans have cracked down on Shelby County, Tennessee’s bluest county and home to Memphis. Against that backdrop, local voters are choosing their new mayor and sheriff tomorrow. Details in our guide:

110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts

A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More

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If you aren't aware of Bolts they do fantastic journalistic coverage of politics across the US and down into local elections.

Bolts@boltsmag.org · 14h ago

Kansans rejected a measure to remake their supreme court. Missourians refused to phase out the income tax. Voters chose Senate and governor nominees, and in Washington they narrowed the field for supreme court seats. Catch up with the night's results.

Abdul El-Sayed has won, NBC News says. And there are other wins for the left in Michigan: —William Lawrence wins his U.S. House primary. —A DSA-backed candidate is leading a Democratic incumbent for state House. —Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of Uncommitted, leads for state Senate.

Legislators in several states have passed, or are considering, laws to push back against the federal government’s overreach under the second Trump administration. These statues are modeled off of older laws in Maine and California.

This Maine Lawsuit is Testing the Boundaries of Suing Federal Immigration Agents - Bolts

Federal law makes it very difficult to file lawsuits against federal officers, but some states have adopted their own laws to give people a so-called cause of action to sue.

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Kansans rejected a measure to remake their supreme court. Missourians refused to phase out the income tax. Voters chose Senate and governor nominees, and in Washington they narrowed the field for supreme court seats. Catch up with the night's results.

110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts

A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More

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🔔 Want to read more about tonight's election results? Sign up for our weekly newsletter, where we give updates on the races we're following, and share the local news stories that our team is talking about.

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Fueled by local organizing and anger over ICE activity, voters flipped this California city to a liberal majority this spring. An immigrant rights advocate says ICE raids escalated voters' frustrations. "That is fueling people to the polls."

How Immigrant Organizing Flipped Nixon’s Hometown - Bolts

The California city of Whittier swung to Democrats this spring, spurred by ICE raids and by anger toward election rules that long dampened turnout among Latinos and kept them out of city government.

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State supreme courts are on the ballot this week. Today, Washington voters are narrowing the field for four seats on their high court and Kansans will decide on a measure that may upend their judiciary. On Thursday, a Tennessee justice is up for retention.

110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts

A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More

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Missouri's GOP legislature keeps losing to voters at the ballot box — marijuana, minimum wage, Medicaid expansion, abortion rights all passed by referendum despite their Republican supermajority Their response is a measure on today's ballot that would gut the referendum process

Under this August Measure, All of Missouri’s Recent Popular Initiatives Would Have Failed - Bolts

Republicans have dominated Missouri’s legislature for over two decades, but they haven’t entirely controlled state lawmaking, in large part because Missouri empowers citizens to petition for ballot re...

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Bolts staff writer Alex Burness explains how Southern states ignored a Reconstruction-era law and manipulated the criminal legal system to prevent Black people from voting. This year, that has finally caught up with one state: Virginia.

Virginia has been the only state in the country to enforce a lifetime ban on voting for anyone convicted of any felony. The governor’s announcement on Friday restored voting rights to some 66,000 people.

Virginia Governor Restores Voting Rights for Thousands With Past Felony Convictions - Bolts

This is the only state that was banning people convicted of any felony from voting for life. Virginians have an opportunity to end that system for good in November.

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A combined 100,000+ people with past felony convictions have either already gained or will soon gain voting rights in Missouri and Virginia, which both have elections today. More: boltsmag.org/gop-run-miss... boltsmag.org/virginia-gov...

happy Election Day too those who celebrate!

Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · 3d ago

Tuesday is big. Besides #MISen: —Missouri measures on direct democracy & income tax —Fate of Kansas supreme court —Left/center rifts in Seattle, Ann Arbor, & more —GOP rifts in Missouri —Challenge to Thanedar & comebacks of Sawant, Cori Bush, Bill Eigel —More! Explore: boltsmag.org/whats-on-the...

Today, voters in Missouri will decide on a GOP proposal that would make citizen ballot measures much more difficult to pass. “If we can’t use the citizen-led initiative petition process, we’re done, we’re cooked,” says an advocate.

Under this August Measure, All of Missouri’s Recent Popular Initiatives Would Have Failed - Bolts

Missouri voters will decide a GOP-backed referendum in August 2026 that would drastically raise the bar for approving citizen ballot measures.

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Five states are holding their primaries today—Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, and Washington. Our guide walks you through dozens of intriguing elections you should know about.

110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts

A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More

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Tomorrow’s ballot in Missouri includes a GOP-backed proposal that would kill the popular initiative process that allows voters to use referendums to enact the policies that lawmakers refuse to act on: boltsmag.org/missouri-ame...

Under this August Measure, All of Missouri’s Recent Popular Initiatives Would Have Failed - Bolts

Republicans have dominated Missouri’s legislature for over two decades, but they haven’t entirely controlled state lawmaking, in large part because Missouri empowers citizens to petition for ballot re...

boltsmag.org

Here's @phillipvancesmith2.bsky.social, a journalist incarcerated in North Carolina, talking about his recent story in @boltsmag.org about three-strikes laws—featuring the voices of a man serving life, and the victim he shot who’s been pushing for his release full story boltsmag.org/north-caroli...

Reginald Slaughter, a formerly incarcerated man who spent years on parole, without the right to vote, says he’s eager to help others exiting prison vote. When he finally regained the right to vote, he says: “I felt like a human being again.”

GOP-Run Missouri Becomes Latest State to Roll Back Felony Disenfranchisement - Bolts

A new law will restore voting rights for tens of thousands of people on probation and parole. It’s a departure from other GOP bills this session to restrict democracy.

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In the past two years, the number of traffic stops by Chicago police each month has dropped significantly. But CPD has continued to conduct hundreds of thousands of off-the-books traffic stops, in violation of Illinois law.

Chicago Police Promised to 'Fix' Secret Traffic Stops. A Year Later, the Problem Has Only Gotten Worse. - Bolts

As Chicago’s top cop steps down, police are making fewer traffic stops. But our new investigation finds half of stops are still not being reported to oversight agencies, despite a state law mandating disclosure.

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Michigan’s ballot is busy tomorrow. Besides the high-profile Senate race, watch a local measure to block a data center, expensive primaries for governor, many ideologically divided legislative and congressional races, and plenty of local contests:

110 Elections to Watch This August - Bolts

A string of high-profile Senate and governor primaries will headline August and set the stage for November. They include the rushed special primary to replace the late Lindsey Graham in... Read More

boltsmag.org

California prison officials are dialing back reforms on solitary confinement, citing increasing violence and overdoses. But a Bolts analysis of prison incident reports shows that drug use and violence were increasing before those reforms were implemented.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back for Solitary Reforms in California - Bolts

California officials dial back the minor reforms they

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Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life in prison without parole under North Carolina’s three-strikes law more than 30 years ago. “I was the first person to get life under that new law,” he says. “Some people may not want me out, just to prove a point.”

In North Carolina, a Shooting Victim Pleads for His Shooter’s Release After 30 Years - Bolts

Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life without parole due to North Carolina’s three-strikes law. The man he shot insists that he shouldn’t still be in prison.

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